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___ Case Study

Best Western® Hotels & Resorts Developed A Unique User Experience On Their Website With Omnichannel Messaging

Best Western
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Best Western logo
iAdvize logo

A strategic partnership established between Best Western and iAdvize in 2018 has enabled the hotel industry leader to put AI and people at the heart of its customer experience strategy.

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CHALLENGE

Stand Out by Engaging Customers & Offering 24/7 Assistance Across all Channels

There's heavy competition in the hotel industry, which has only increased with the digitization of the sector from other brands, reservation websites, and homestays. A Forrester study found that 64% of travelers aren’t loyal to one hotel chain in particular. Keeping them is the main challenge for this industry.


To counter this, it’s important to satisfy and exceed expectations. Customers today are looking for hyper-personalized, authentic shopping experiences. Reducing sources of friction in the buying journey is crucial to attracting and keeping new customers.

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Delight travelers who are looking for a better online experience.
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Develop an effective direct-to-consumer strategy.
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I think we're at a tipping point, accentuated by the health crisis. There's no longer that barrier to chat with a brand. On the contrary, there's an expectation from the customer to be able to talk with the brand in the way they want. You'll always have the phone enthusiasts, and then you'll have all the nomads who say they don't care who answers them, they just want a reliable and quick response.
Virginie Barboux
Virginie Barboux
General Manager, Communication, Digital & Customer Experience at Best Western France
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SOLUTION

Combine Chatbots, Humans, and Omnichannel Capabilities For a High-Quality Customer Experience

Best Western France has opted for digitization as a way to streamline their user experience while keeping people at the center of their customer service. This honors their core business principle—hospitality.
Automation & Artificial Intelligence

Automation & Artificial Intelligence

The use of chatbots capable of understanding site visitor needs makes it possible for the brand to provide fast and accurate responses 24/7 and redirect to a customer service agent when necessary.

Accurate & Personalized Advice

Accurate & Personalized Advice

Adding chatbots to the website enables customer service agents to be available to handle more complex traveler requests in real time or asynchronously.

An Omnichannel User Experience

An Omnichannel User Experience

The goal is to be where customers are connected. The brand provides support for its customers via messaging on its site and third-party channels, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple Messages for Business, and text.

Rolling Out Third-Party Channels to Become a Customer Relations Leader in the Hotel Industry

Mobile traffic represents more than half of Best Western France’s site traffic, which is why the integration of an omnichannel messaging button is far from trivial. The brand has added WhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging apps, and Apple Messages for Business to allow customers to contact Best Western via iMessage. Since their launch, third-party channels have accounted for more than 50% of their conversations.

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The business impact of Apple Messages for Business is that it fits the profile of professionals who are
Best Western France customers. On average, Apple users are spending 3x more at checkout than
Android users.
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What we’ve noticed is that one channel doesn’t overtake another because they all serve different purposes. You’re either a fan of WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. When a customer sees the logos, they go with the one they’re most comfortable with.
Virginie Barboux
Virginie Barboux
General Manager, Communication, Digital & Customer Experience at Best Western France
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RESULTS

Unprecedented Levels of Customer Satisfaction & Increases in CVR

Best Western France’s “test and learn” approach and support from the experts at iAdvize has enabled the brand to achieve its customer experience goals and increase conversions.
Customer Satisfaction
73%
CSAT post-conversation
+7 pts
in their net promoter score (NPS)
Revenue After Conversations
$24
average increase at checkout
16%
conversion rate
Customer Service Optimization
77%
of conversations involve a chatbot
Unprecedented Levels of Customer Satisfaction & Increases in CVR
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When we implemented the iAdvize chat, customer experience was our core objective. The pleasant surprise was seeing how well we managed to measure the ROI on these digitized customer relations.
Virginie Barboux
Virginie Barboux
General Manager, Communication, Digital & Customer Experience at Best Western France